


Found

by GreyLiliy



Series: A Cappella [2]
Category: The Transformers (IDW Generation One)
Genre: Children of Characters, Drama, Family, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-10-17
Updated: 2013-10-17
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:15:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22822405
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GreyLiliy/pseuds/GreyLiliy
Summary: Drift finds a forgotten sparkling.
Series: A Cappella [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1640695
Kudos: 18





	Found

**Author's Note:**

> [First posted to Tumblr on October 17, 2013 as “A Cappella #2 - Found.” Crossposted to Archive of Our Own on February 20, 2020. Only the work itself has been posted.]

“Drift found a what?” Ratchet asked, looking over his shoulder. The last of the surviving patients from Pharma’s Red Rust had just finished their transfer to the shuttle, and Drift was responsible for one last sweep through the building. That didn’t match up with what First Aid had just said.

“A sparkling,” First Aid repeated, his hands were clenched tightly into fists. “Maybe one or two years old, from the looks of him.”

First Aid was speaking, but Ratchet’s optics were locked on Drift. The third-in-command held a tiny mech about three times the side of his hand against his shoulder. Bright blue optics stared at Ratchet in the middle of a pouting face, complete with a miniature of Pharma’s nose. The sparkling’s tiny grey fists gripped tightly to Drift’s armor as he was cradled in one arm.

“Where’d you find him?” Ratchet asked, the first of many questions.

“Pharma’s hab-suite,” Drift answered. He tilted his head down at the tiny creature resting against him. “I almost didn’t find him. He was locked in a closet, and if I hadn’t heard him crying we would have left without him.”

“A closet?” Ambulon asked, his eyes wide.

“Yeah, Pharma had a crib set up in his hab-suite storage,” Drift said. Ratchet watched little spark carefully as Drift spoke. He wasn’t fussing or moving, just sitting there in Drift’s arms. It was a bit unnerving for a mech that age. Drift tapped the back of the little one’s hand with a finger. “It had a blanket, some drawing pads, and a few energon goodies. Oh, and there was a light above it.”

“Well that’s marginally better,” First Aid said. “But not by much.”

“You think he’s Pharma’s?” Ambulon asked hesitantly. He held his arms out and took the sparkling from Drift. The mech fussed a bit during the transfer, but went back to sitting quietly when he was held against Ambulon’s chest. He dropped his head on Ambulon’s shoulder and yawned. “I mean, he’d have to be, wouldn’t he?”

“If he wasn’t, Pharma wouldn’t have had a reason to hide him,” First Aid said. “What do you think Ratchet?”

“I think I’d want to know if the other parent knows he’s here,” Ratchet said slowly.

“The other parent?” Ambulon asked, rubbing the sparkling’s back with the tips of two fingers.

“I know he’s cute and all,” Ratchet said, “but you’ve had to have noticed the treads on his shoulders and legs, and the fusion gun on his back. He’s got Pharma’s coloring, but that kid’s alt-mode is a tank.”

“Tarn,” Drift said, stating the obvious. “Pharma was seeing Tarn for more than replacing transformation cogs, wasn’t he?”

“That might explain his desperation to get away with the red rust better,” Ambulon said, a hint of hope in his voice. “I can’t picture Pharma voluntarily interfacing with Tarn, let alone enough times to light a new spark.”

“Pharma hated Tarn, right?” First Aid said, looking over at Ratchet. First Aid crossed his arms and shook his head. “There’s no way he’d keep a kid for Tarn’s sake, so he must have kept it a secret from him.”

“I don’t know how we’re going to keep this a secret,” Ratchet sighed. “We clearly can’t leave him here, and there’s no one else to take a sparkling.”

“We won’t have to keep it a secret. I’ll take him,” Ambulon said. He pressed his palm flat against the sparkling’s back, nearly covering it. The little one cooed gently, and chirped once. “They can think I’m the parent.”

“You?” Ratchet scoffed. “And how would that fool anyone? He hated you.”

“You’d be surprised what people are willing to do to embarrass someone,” Ambulon said. “Besides, the crew wouldn’t know that.”

“What about his alt-mode?” Ratchet asked, pointing at the kid. “How’re you going to hide that?”

“I wasn’t always a leg, you know,” Ambulon said, narrowing his eyes.

“You used to be a tank?” First Aid said, his optics lighting up on interest.

“What? No!” Ambulon said, shaking his head. The sparkling chirpped angrily at the movement, and Ambulon bounced him a bit on his shoulder. “Sorry, little guy. No, I meant no one on the ship knows what my old form used to be. I could say it was anything and they’d believe me. In this case, a tank.”

“That, that could work,” Ratchet said, looking over at Drift. “What do you think?”

“I can keep a secret,” Drift said, smiling crookedly. “Fine with me.”

“First Aid?”

“I’m not sure, Ratchet,” First Aid said. “I’m not sure we should put that burden on Ambulon, but if that’s the group decision than I’ll keep my face-plate shut.”

“Then it’s settled,” Ambulon said. He lifted the sparkling off his shoulder and held him up in front of him. His tiny legs dangled as his little arms latched onto Ambulon’s hands. “Now we just need to know your name, little one.”

“On it,” Ratchet said. He picked up a diagnostic data-pad and a free cord. “Hold him still, would you?”

Ambulon sat the sparkling on the table, and gently held his hands to keep him from fussing. Ratchet moved around to the back of his helm, and found the medical port. He jacked into the sparkling, causing the little one to chirp, and read the pad.

“Well?” First Aid asked, leaning over Ambulon’s arm.

“His designation is A Cappella, and you were right Aid. He’s a little over two years old,” Ratchet said. He detached the wire and threw the pad back on the desk. He had better equipment back on the Lost Light for a full scan. “He’s on the small side for a tank that old.”

“Must get it from Pharma,” First Aid said. “So, you’re taking him, Ambulon?”

“Yes,” Ambulon said. He picked the sparkling up again. “I’m Ambulon. Hello, little A Cappella. I’m taking care of you from now on. Is that okay?”

A Cappella snorted, and kicked Ambulon in the chest.

Ratchet laughed, “That is definitely Pharma’s kid.”

“Don’t worry, Ambulon,” First Aid said. He patted his friend on the arm. “I’ll help.”

“Thanks,” Ambulon said.

A Cappella chirped happily as Aid played with his finger. Ratchet shook his head and followed Drift back to Pharma’s room to pick up the kid’s things. This was trouble, one way or another, that kid was going to be trouble.


End file.
